Top/Elite Affiliates

Rather than adding to our already long first press roundup post for Matthew’s Germany trip, here’s a second roundup. SnitchSeeker have posted their roundtable interview with Matthew and that can be watched below, as well as a transcript of their questions. We have also added some new photos to the gallery. Once again, if you have any photos feel free to send them in! (webmiss[at]magical-menagerie.com)

SnitchSeeker: Can you tell us something about the [Goblet of Fire] dancing shoes?
Matthew Lewis: Yeah, I’m crap at dancing. They bring back some memories these shoes. I wore them on a couple of times for the Yule Ball. I’ve just seen them in there actually. It’s a bit of a blast from the past. We had to have some full dancing lessons. People came in and taught us how to dance. Classical dance. I can’t dance. I’m terrible, I didn’t wanna dance. I was 15: “I don’t wanna dance.” But we did it and we learned it for months and months. And actually, Bonnie [Wright] and I learned a tango. In the movie we all did the waltz, but we did the tango. We spend two months learning the tango and we never shot it. Never did it. Can’t remember any of it now.

SnitchSeeker: Are there any of the props on display that you would personally like to have?
Matt: Yes! A lot actually. The main one is the sword of Gryffindor. I would have loved to have kept that. I got Neville’s outfit from the final movie. Cardigan and trousers covered in blood. Haven’t put it on since I finished. I’ve got a wand, but I don’t think it’s the wand.

SnitchSeeker: Would you have liked Neville to be the Chosen One instead of Harry?
Matt: Too much work. I was asleep in there. I’m too lazy. I thought the character of Neville…. What Jo Rowling did with Neville was incredible. She knew from day one the importance of his character. I didn’t know it until I read the books. The idea of taking someone who is shy, a little chubby, bullied, wasn’t good at using magic, terrified, that turned him of being into the hero of the piece. That’s just incredible. He could’ve been the Chosen One but he was Neville… He couldn’t even amount to a prophecy. He couldn’t even get that right. But then in the end he becomes more than that. He becomes so important. I thought that was incredible. The message is incredible. I said this earlier but everyone is the world is capable of brilliance. Everyone. What Neville did was that little boy in the class… he can amount to something. He can be the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs or whatever.

I still get fan mail from people saying they had a crappy childhood or were being bullied at school. And seeing how Neville, despite all of that, became a hero inspires them. As an actor to have a piece of your work inspire someone is just unbelievable. So humbling. I love Neville as he is.

SnitchSeeker: Do you think Neville affected your personal life? Your personal growth?
Matt: Yeah, when I first started I was Neville. I was shy, chubby, I didn’t really talk very much. I had a few friends at school, but I wasn’t so popular. And then as Neville grew, so did I really. We took that journey together. That journey of maturity. We really came a long way. So definitely parts of Neville that I still keep. Yeah, he’s a good guy.

SnitchSeeker: Are you currently working on a project?
Matt: Well, I just finished one which I can’t really talk about. How rubbish is that! I’ve just been shooting in the Caribbean. I had this horrible goatee. It was awful. My last day was Saturday and I shaved it off like straight away. I thought “I’m not going to Germany with this, man!” And I had these big old sideburns. And in two weeks I go back out to South Africa to do another series of ‘Bluestone 42’. I don’t think it’s been on in Germany. I don’t know if it plans to be, I hope so! I should talk to the producers about it. We did a series about that last year.